History of Baptist Church at Corinth, Pulaski County, Georgia

In 1866, soon after the close of the “War Between the States,” John Godwin and Daniel Fann, two consecrated Baptist ministers, were appointed to act as a presbytery to draw up articles of faith for a Baptist Church at Corinth, an Old Field School, about three miles east of Hawkinsville.

The following brethren and sisters assented to the articles drawn up and were duly constituted into a regular Baptist Church, October 12. 1866: M. B. Fann, Miles Bembry, W. G. Fleming, Jacob Fausky, J. E. Holmes, J. W. Lancaster, J. W. Sapp, Martha Fann, Sarah A. Bembry, Sarah L. Bembry, Marina Bembry, Marina Fleming, Mary Fleming, Sarah Fleming, Mary Fauskey, Martha Holmes, Elizabeth Hodge. Corinth is a branch of Limestone church, which was founded in 1833, and was organized for purposes of convenience. The church building dates back to 1878, when, according to the old record, on February 9th, Brother Miles Bembry proposed to the conference to furnish lumber for a new house of worship, provided the church would give him the old school building. Brother J. W. Sapp agreed to give 8,000 shingles, and J. W. Lancaster to furnish the windows. A building committee consisting of R. T. Bembry, J. W. Lancaster, and J. E. Holmes was appointed, and, on July 22, 1878, work was begun. A very comfortable though not very large house was soon completed, which has served since as the religious center for some of Pulaski’s oldest and best known citizens. The present membership is composed mainly of descendants of the charter members and other original settlers of this section who are still holding to the lands of their fathers, and some can, within a radius of four miles, visit the graves of great-great-grandparents. In 1906 the building was repaired, new weatherboarding was put on, and it was painted. Part of the material is on the ground now (February, 1935) to build new Sunday school rooms which are greatly needed.

Corinth’s first Sunday school dates back to the old schoolhouse, soon after the church was founded. Corinth’s W. M. U. was one of the first organized in this section. The first record available shows an organization in 1897 with Mrs. S. M. Bembry, president; Mrs. E. G. Fleming, vice president; Mrs. W. H. Collins, secretary; and Miss Allie Lancaster, treasurer. These four are still members. Corinth W. M. U. is the most liberal contributor to missions of any of our rural churches in the Pulaski-Bleckley Association. In 1934 the Society reported 100 per cent of its resident members giving to missions, being the first church in this section of Georgia to do so. This Society has furnished one of the two young women from this Association to graduate from the training school at Louisville-Miss Annie D. Lancaster. Also, Miss Elsie Lancaster, now Mrs. J. L. Wheeler, graduated from the Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta.

Corinth has fostered the God’s Acre movement for the past three years, and has been very successful with it. Plans have been made to erect Sunday school rooms with the proceeds. In fact, the God’s Acre movement is no new movement with Corinth. In consulting the old Sunday school records we find the following which we believe may give this church the distinction of starting the movement in this section of the State:

Corinth Sunday School. June 23, 1878

As per agreement, the following rules were adopted to govern school in relation to Sunday school. Can any other church in the Pulaski-Bleckley Association go back further than this?

The Pulaski-Bleckley, a branch of the new Ebenezer Association, was organized at Corinth in 1906, for purposes of geographical convenience, with J. J. Whitfield acting as moderator, a position he has held ever since.